Taipei will express concern to Washington over a travel ban on three senior AU Optronics (AUO) executives, a Ministry of Foreign Affairs official said yesterday.
Harry Tseng (曾厚仁), director-general of the Department of North American Affairs, said Taiwan hoped the US executive branch would take a “flexible” approach and consider lifting the ban on the trio, in line with the principle of presumed innocence.
AUO vice chairman Chen Hsuan-bin (陳炫彬), CEO Chen Lai-juh (陳來助) and board member and Qisda chief executive Hui Hsiung (熊暉) were recently ordered by a US judge to surrender their passports and not travel outside California’s northern district without court permission.
A San Francisco court in June indicted the Houston-based subsidiary of AUO and six company officials, including the trio, on charges of conspiring to fix LCD panel prices from September 2001 through December 2006, an allegation made by the US Department of Justice.
“They went to the US voluntarily to appear in court, meaning they will not hide themselves. Given that they have approached the case sincerely, what’s the point of barring them from leaving [the US]?” Tseng asked.
Should the Department of Justice refuse to talk with Taipei, the ministry would consider raising the matter with the American Institute in Taiwan, he said.
“As a foreign government, there is little room to maneuver in a case under judicial review and the same applies to the US’ executive branch. Even so, we will do our best to communicate with the US government to see if we can change the situation,” Tseng said.
Hong Kong-based American singer-songwriter Khalil Fong (方大同) has passed away at the age of 41, Fong’s record label confirmed yesterday. “With unwavering optimism in the face of a relentless illness for five years, Khalil Fong gently and gracefully bid farewell to this world on the morning of February 21, 2025, stepping into the next realm of existence to carry forward his purpose and dreams,” Fu Music wrote on the company’s official Facebook page. “The music and graphic novels he gifted to the world remain an eternal testament to his luminous spirit, a timeless treasure for generations to come,” it said. Although Fong’s
China’s military buildup in the southern portion of the first island chain poses a serious threat to Taiwan’s liquefied natural gas (LNG) supply, a defense analyst warned. Writing in a bulletin on the National Defense and Security Research’s Web site on Thursday, Huang Tsung-ting (黃宗鼎) said that China might choke off Taiwan’s energy supply without it. Beginning last year, China entrenched its position in the southern region of the first island chain, often with Russia’s active support, he said. In May of the same year, a Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) force consisting of a Type 054A destroyer, Type 055 destroyer,
Actor Darren Wang (王大陸) was questioned by prosecutors for allegedly orchestrating an attack on a taxi driver after he was allegedly driven on a longer than necessary route in a car he disliked. The questioning at the New Taipei City District Prosecutors’ Office was ongoing as of press time last night. Police have recommended charges of attempted murder. The legally embattled actor — known for his role in the coming-of-age film Our Times (我的少女時代) — is under a separate investigation for allegedly using fake medical documents to evade mandatory military service. According to local media reports, police said Wang earlier last year ordered a
POLICY UNCHANGED? Despite Trump’s remarks, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio assured that US policy toward Taiwan has remained consistent since the 1970s US President Donald Trump on Wednesday again refused to make clear his stance on protecting Taiwan from a hypothetical takeover by China during his presidency. Asked by a reporter during a Cabinet meeting whether it was his policy that China would never take Taiwan by force while he is president, Trump declined to give a definitive answer. “I never comment on that,” he said. “I don’t comment on it because I don’t want to ever put myself in that position.” Trump also reiterated that he has a “great relationship” with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) and said that Washington welcomes good relations with
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